Coronavirus: China to help African countries combat scourge

 Aidoghie  Paulinus, Abuja

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Geng Shuang, gave the assurance while speaking at a press conference.

In the March 11, 2020 edition of the ‘Newsletter on Fighting 2019-nCoV’ made available to Daily Sun in Abuja by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Nigeria, the Chinese Government said its containment efforts were producing results.

Geng was commenting on the message of appreciation and support for China’s epidemic response from a meeting of Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ministers of Health held in Tanzania on March 9, 2020.

Geng said since the outbreak of the virus, the Chinese Government and people have been working all-out to fight the disease, maintaining that China’s containment efforts were producing results.

Geng noted the high risks of imported cases in Africa and the emergence of confirmed cases in multiple African countries, and affirmed China’s readiness to stand in solidarity and strengthen cooperation with African countries, while shoring up its own line of defense.

“As China fights the epidemic, the countries and people in Africa have been standing firmly with China and expressing solidarity in various ways.

“China will do its best to support and help African countries to jointly contribute to regional and global public health security,” Geng said.

Geng also said leaders of almost all the African countries having diplomatic ties with China and the chairperson of the African Union Commission have called or written to offer sympathies and support.

Geng added that the AU Council of Ministers, the Peace and Security Council of the AU, the African Ministers of Health Conference, the Meeting of the Ministers of Health of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and most recently, the Extraordinary Meeting for SADC Ministers of Health have all spoken highly of China’s epidemic response.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Government has said as of March 10, 2020, over 70 percent patients have been cured and discharged on the Chinese mainland.

The government disclosed that 24 confirmed cases (cumulative 80,778); 22 fatal cases (all in Hubei, cumulative 3,158); and 31 suspected cases (in total 285 suspected cases pending test results) have been recorded.

The government further said a total number of 1,578 patients have been cured and discharged cases have reached a cumulative number of 61,475.

“As of 24:00, 10 March, Hong Kong (120, incl. 65 cured and 3 fatal), Macao (10, all cured) SAR and Taiwan Province (47, incl. 17 cured and 1 fatal) had altogether reported 177 confirmed cases,” the Chinese Government disclosed.